Shadows of the Past
by KrissyKat91
Summary: A Medabot with a forgotten past and a clouded future meets Ikki, Metabee, and the others. But there's more to him than meets the eye.
1. An Ending and a Beginning

KrissyKat91: Okay, this is really old, and I don't know how good it is. This is the one that ties into both my Thunderblade story, and my sister's (kaileytmarie) Terra story that I had to post because she was too embarrassed to do it herself.

* * *

Ch. 1: An Ending and a Beginning

June 5, 2155

It was the stereotypical dark, stormy night when the portal first opened. The man who stepped through the swirling vortex blinked, wondering if he'd misread something somewhere. He wasn't supposed to be caught in the tail end of a hurricane!

Oh, well. He was there now, and if he left, there was no telling when he'd be able to come back. And he needed to be there.

Panting, he hauled himself over a particularly slippery ridge, and nearly lost his grip at the sight in front of him.

A large robot, so badly damaged it was impossible to tell what it had looked like, was lying in a slowly growing pool of blue liquid. Sparks flew from several places, and smoke was rising into the sky.

Scrambling over the ridge, the man rushed to the robot, careful to avoid the liquid. If that was what he thought it was, it would eat him alive if he touched it.

Upon closer inspection, he found that most of the bot's armor was burned black, as if someone (or some_thing_) had tried to blow it up but hadn't quite succeeded.

Reaching out, he tried to brush some soot off of the charred chestplate, only to jerk back as it fell apart at his touch. Now able to see inside the huge machine, he couldn't help but cringe.

The circuits and wires that made up the bot's sensory receptors were a melted mess. He couldn't imagine the pain the poor creature must have been in before they'd overloaded and shorted out. He was surprised it was even alive!

Yes, he could see its fuel pump working slowly. It was alive, though at the rate it was leaking fluids, it wouldn't be for long.

Trying to figure out a way to save the bot, he scanned its interior, then spied something strange. A boxlike object rested in a fairly empty part of its chest, the top almost burned off.

Carefully peeling back the burnt casing, he peeked inside, and gasped.

An orb of blue, translucent energy floated in the middle of the box, flickering weakly. As he stared at it, entranced, something in the back of his mind whispered, _Take it. Save it!_

So he did.


	2. Dreaming of Times Past

KrissyKat91: Um, heh heh, yeah. So. This is an old story, and that's why the chapters are so short.

* * *

Ch. 2: Dreaming of Times Past 

* * *

_**He sprinted across the battlefield, ignoring the throbbing gash in his side. He didn't really care about his own operational status right then. His only thought was to get to the white-and-gray mech sprawled on the ground, still several yards away.**_

_**Just as he came within shouting distance, a shadow loomed over him, and the white-and-gray mech yelled, "LOOK OUT!"**_

_**The warning came too late. The world exploded in a blaze of light and sound, and white-hot agony flooded his entire being. Someone screamed; it was his own voice.**_

_**And as everything went black, he heard someone call his name.**_

* * *

May 8, 2259

The black Stealth-type Medabot jolted awake, gasping.

Pressing an indigo hand to his chest-plate in an attempt to calm his racing Spark, he sighed. He loathed that dream with a passion. It only taunted him with the last few moments of a life he could not remember.

He glanced at the clock next to the mat he slept on.

6:32 A.M.

No point in trying to go back to sleep now. Better to start blast-proofing the lab before the Professor woke up. It wouldn't do for something to explode...

* * *

"_**This one won't explode on you," the red-white-and-green mech said.**_

"_**Promise?" he asked, eying the devise warily.**_

"_**Cross my Spark and hope to glitch."**_

_**Bracing himself, he pressed the button. For a moment nothing happened, then...**_

_**KABOOM!**_

"_**Erm... that wasn't supposed to happen," the now soot-gray mech said, head-panels flashing a nervous purple.**_

_**Slowly, he turned to face the inventor, normally impassive blue optics glittering with controlled fury.**_

"_**The moment you are done cleaning in here," he hissed, "your skids are MINE!"**_

* * *

Pale blue eyes blinked. Where had _that_ come from? That had never happened before.

_Maybe my memories are coming back! _He mentally slapped himself. _No. Illogical. My processor was destroyed. My memories will never return._

While the Professor had managed to save his Spark, whatever had happened had almost obliterated his CPU and hard-drive. The only salvageable information had been his racial memory.

So, yes, he knew _what_ he once was: a Cybertronian. He knew he had been able to transform into some sort of vehicle (which, given his slight acrophobia, had most likely been land based). He knew about the Great War. He even knew to which faction he'd belonged. But all the memories of his life, of _who _he was, were gone, never to return, according to the Professor.

Unless, of course, the Professor was lying. He had no reason to disbelieve the man, however. He'd seen the holographs taken of his true body. It had been akin to seeing a mutilated human, and had almost made him purge his fuel tank.

There really wasn't any chance of regaining his memories. Still, he couldn't help the thrill of hope that ran through his Spark.

_I'll ask the Professor later._


	3. Confession

Ch. 3: Confession

Same Day

"Good morning, Shadow," an older man with wild, grey-streaked blonde hair said as he walked into the kitchen.

Shadow jolted. He'd been so preoccupied with his little flashback, he'd failed to notice the man walk up behind him, which was kind of pathetic for a Stealth-type Medabot.

"Good morning, Professor Sayne," he replied, bowing politely.

Professor Sayne smiled. "What's on the agenda for today, my friend?"

Shadow's blue eyes dimmed, alien glyphs flashing across them at high speeds.

"You have some Air-type parts to refurbish—

"Fun, as always."

"—you're due at a Board-of-Directors meeting at 1:00—"

"Boooring!"

"—and I _insist_ that you refill the first aid kit today! You never know when it might save your life."

"Oh, come on! Where's your sense of fun?" the Professor wailed, sounding remarkably like a child who was being made to eat something he didn't want to eat.

_It got left behind in my old body,_ Shadow mentally grumbled, eyes returning to normal. Out loud, he said, "Risking _your_ life and _my_ sanity on a daily basis is _not _what I call fun."

"Spoilsport." Professor Sayne stood up. "Well, time to get to work." He started to walk out of the room.

"I had that dream again last night. It was clearer this time."

The Professor stopped, then opened his mouth to, once again, tell his friend not to worry about it.

"And I think I just had a flashback."

The Professor's mouth shut with a _clack. _"A what?"

"Flashback: a short but vivid memory brought about by similar circumsta—Professor! Are you okay?"

The old man had suddenly sunk to the kitchen floor, looking a whole lot older.

Covering his face with his hands, he moaned, "I was afraid of this."

"Afraid of what?" Shadow asked, reaching tentatively for him.

"That you would start to remember."

The midnight-blue hand froze.

"What?"

Professor Sayne took a deep breath. "Shadow, I... I haven't been completely honest with you about all that happened that night."

* * *

_**Ian Sayne carefully lifted the ball of blue light out of the case, marveling at how its glass-like surface burned his hands, but caused him no pain.**_

_**The moment he pulled it out, the robot's fuel pump stopped moving. He winced. To save the bot's life, he had effectively killed its body. Oh, he was in for it when he got it into a new one, provided it remembered anything.**_

_**He knew, in theory, how to go about this, but in all he'd read, the people/bots actually **_**doing****_ the body transfer always had the processor information to copy as well._**

_**The way the bot looked right now, however, he didn't really want to risk damaging the processor further.**_

_**Ian's head shot up as the roar of plane engines filled the air, and three brightly colored F-15 Eagles came into view.**_

_**Ian paled. In all the history books he'd read, there were only three giant robots that had those alt modes in those colors.**_

_**Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker, the Decepticon Elite Seekers.**_

_**The orb in his hands buzzed, and he decided that leaving would probably be a good idea.**_

_**He barely managed to get into a small cave before the three Seekers landed. Hunkering down, Ian reached into his pocket and turned on his portable cloaking device.**_

_**Hoping fervently that the Decepticons would not find him (or his portal), he clutched the sphere to his chest and listened.**_

"_**This is where Soundwave said the anomaly was," the blue-and-gray bot, Thundercracker, stated.**_

_**The red-blue-and-silver bot, Starscream, rolled his crimson optics.**_ _**Then his gaze landed on the lifeless corpse near Ian's hiding place.**_

"_**Well, what have we here?" A malicious smile crossed his faceplate. "Skywarp, Thundercracker. Want to see the results of my new-and-improved cluster bombs?"**_

_**Skywarp, the black-and-purple bot, whistled. "I gotta hand it to ya, Screamer. You've outdone yourself this time."**_

"_**Don't encourage him, 'Warp," Thundercracker drawled. "His ego's big enough as it is." Then he frowned. "Who is this?" he asked, nudging the body with his foot.**_

_**Starscream shrugged. "Who cares? The point is, my bombs work. The Autobots will never know what hit them."**_

_**He grinned manically, then kicked the still form in the fashion of a true coward.**_

_**Snorting at his trine-leader's behavior, Skywarp rose into the air a little and said, "There's nothin' out here, guys. Lets go back before this storm gets any worse."**_

_**Smirking, Starscream said, "For once, Skywarp, I agree with you. Coming, Thundercracker?"**_

_**The blue-and-gray bot shook his head. "If the two of you want to get in trouble with Megatron, that's fine by me. **_**I'm**_** actually going to have a look around."**_

"_**Suit yourself." With that, the two Decepticons flew off.**_

_**The moment they were out of sight, Thundercracker turned and looked directly at Ian's hiding place.**_

"_**I know you're there, human. Come out, and bring the Spark with you."**_

_**Ian froze. How could he have spotted him through the cloaking field? And how did he know the blue-and-gray bot wasn't going to kill him the moment he was in range?**_

_**As if reading his mind, Thundercracker smiled.**_ "_**I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help."**_

_**Swallowing, Ian stepped out from his hiding place. "How-how did you know I was there?" he asked.**_

"_**I listened to the thunder," he replied cryptically, kneeling in an attempt to lessen the distance between himself and Ian.**_ "_**That, however, is unimportant. You need to get that Spark into a new body before it extinguishes. Your touch is protecting it for now, but you can't hold it forever."**_

_**Cocking his head in confusion, Ian looked up at the blue-and-gray bot and asked, "Why do you, a Decepticon, want to save the life of an Autobot?"**_

_**Thundercracker's smile faded, and he sighed. "This war has taken so many lives already. I'll not see it take another if I can do anything to prevent it." He smirked suddenly. "Besides, you should never take anything at face value. Things are not always as they appear."**_

_**He stood up. "Now, let's see about that processor data, shall we?"**_

* * *

"Thundercracker walked me through downloading everything in your databanks onto a memory stick he had on him, warned me not to expect you to remember anything for a while, then left." Professor Sayne shook his head. "To this day, I've not been able to figure out why he helped me instead of killing us both."

There was silence from the Medabot before him, and he looked up. Shadow was staring at him with something akin to horror in his eyes.

"Shadow?"

"...Why?" he finally asked, tone unreadable. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Sorrow filled the Professors eyes. "Because I didn't want you to remember whatever horrors you've had to face. War is a terrible thing, Shadow. I wanted to protect you from the nightmares that come with it."

A humorless, disbelieving laugh escaped the Stealth-type. "'Protect me'? Is that it? The nightmares have never stopped, Professor."

Blanching, the Professor reached for him. Shadow jerked away, then ran out of the room and out of the house.


	4. Into the Past

KrissyKat91: So, I just got the first volume of the Medabots manga from Amazon. That thing has the weirdest artwork I have ever seen in any manga (not that I've actually read that many). The plot seems pretty good so far, though.

* * *

Ch. 4: Into the Past

The next few days were strained, to say the least. Shadow went out of his way to avoid the Professor, speaking to the man only when necessary, and even then, only with frigid politeness.

Then, one day, everything changed.

* * *

May 12, 2259

Shadow was sitting on the front steps, watching the birds and marveling at how free they seemed, when his sharp audios picked up the sounds of footsteps coming up behind him.

"Shadow?"

Blue eyes narrowing, Shadow stood up and began to walk away.

"Shadow, wait, please!"

The black Medabot paused, turning slightly, letting the Professor know he was listening.

Rubbing the back of his neck, the Professor said, "I know you're angry with me; you have every right to be, and I won't blame you if you never speak to me again, but, well..." He hesitated, then rushed ahead. "You know the time machine, the one I used that day?"

Shadow nodded slowly, wondering where this was going.

"I finally finished recalibrating it and—"

Shadow turned to face him fully. "You can send me back."

It was a statement, not a question, but the Professor answered anyway.

"Yeah. I can't send you to the exact date, though. The closest I could send you would be about a year later."

The Stealth-type didn't even need to think about it. "It's close enough. If it will help me regain my memories, then I'll do it."

Professor Sayne frowned, then nodded. He had hoped Shadow would stay, but he understood the black Medabot's reasoning. If it had been he who had lost his memories, he'd want to do whatever it took to get them back.

"Right, then," he said. "Shall we?"

* * *

September 12, 2156

Ikki Tenryou shivered. Old Man Winter had come early to Riverview, Japan, and people like him, who'd thought it was still warmish out and dressed accordingly, were paying for it.

It didn't help that Metabee was laughing his head off at him.

"Oh _man!" _he cackled. "You should've _seen_ the look on your face when you walked out the door! _Priceless!"_

"Can it, Metabee," Ikki grumbled. "It's not funny."

"He wouldn't be laughing if you had watched the weather report this morning," Erika Amazake told him, pulling her coat closer to her body.

"Since when are _they_ ever right?" he snapped, then spied something that made him brighten a bit. "Hey, lets go in there," he said, pointing to a small shack by the river.

"Okay," Erika replied, "but only until you warm up enough to get home."

They were almost to the shack when a flash of brilliant light lit it up from the inside, followed by a shock wave that knocked them to the ground.

"What was that?!" Metabee shouted.

Reporter instincts flaring to life, Erika jumped up and said, "I don't know, but I'm gonna find out!" With that, she shot off.

"Erika! Wait! It could be dangerous! Erika!"

"Man, that girl's either brave, crazy, or both," Metabee muttered as he and Ikki took off after her.

* * *

Shadow sat up, groaning. The Professor had neglected to inform him of the state his fuel tank would be in after the trip. Granted, he hadn't asked, but still...

Shadow's head suddenly shot up as the sound of approaching footsteps caught his attention.

Scrambling to his feet, the Stealth-type shoved the nausea away and darted into a corner. Flicking his cloaking field on, he instantly became invisible to the naked eye and nearly all forms of radar.

As he watched, the door to the building he was in swung open, and two human children (a black-haired boy and a brown-haired girl), along with a white-and-gold KBT-type Medabot (a rather old model, at that) walked in.

"See, Erika? There's nothing in here but old crates," the boy said.

"Then what, pray tell, made that light, or that shock wave?" the girl, Erika, asked.

"Uh..."

"She's got you there, Ikki," the Hercules Beetle-type commented.

"You're supposed to be on my side, Metabee," the boy, Ikki, snapped. "We really shouldn't be in here. It could be dangerous."

Shadow mentally smiled. He liked that boy. He seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. The girl, however, seemed to nosy for her own good. As for the Medabot, Metabee, he didn't know what to think.

His sensors indicated that the radio waves broadcasting from the boy's comm. unit, a "Medawatch," he believed they were called, were transmitting to the KBT-type. Therefor, logic dictated that Ikki must be his commander, or "Medafighter," as they called themselves.

However, their body language and the way Metabee reacted to him suggested they were rivals, not partners. It made no sense, and made his processor ache.

An alarm suddenly went off in Shadow's head, drawing his attention away from the little group before him. A quick radar sweep showed that four humans, accompanied by about half a dozen battle ready Medabots, were approaching the building.

Shadow's blue eyes narrowed. Tactical programming he'd forgotten he had was telling him to ready himself for the first fight he'd been in since before he could remember.

Priming his weapon systems, he waited.

* * *

"Ikki."

Ikki turned at the sound of his name. "Yeah, Metabee?"

Metabee had a decidedly weirded out look in his green eyes. "I just felt someone do a radar sweep."

"So?"

"The sweep came from _in this shack. _I didn't do it, you and Erika _can't_ do it, and Brass' body isn't here, so _she_ couldn't do it." He gulped. "My sensors aren't picking anything up, but I'm positive." His voice dropped to a whisper. _"Someone's in here with us!"_

Ikki started to answer, then froze as a sourceless voice growled, _"Get out of here."_

That caught Erika's attention. "W-what was that?"

"_Get out now,"_ the voice snapped.

"Who's there? Where are you?" Metabee shouted.

For a moment there was silence, then the door was suddenly blown in by two very mean looking Ninja-types, a Samurai-type, and four Dragon-types.

And standing right behind them was the Rubberrobo Gang.


	5. Stranger in Town

KrissyKat91: I finished my Medabots manga. I honestly don't know what to say. It's definitely the weirdest manga I've ever read, and yet, for some reason, I kinda liked it. Oh well. I guess I'll just order the next one and let you know what I think of that.

Also, if by the end of this chapter, you have not figured out which Autobot Shadow is, you need to go rewatch all the old G1 Transformers episodes.

* * *

Ch. 5: Stranger in Town

Same Day

"Well, what have we here?" the leader of the gang, Seaslug, leered. "A couple of nosy brats and a Medabot, messing around where they shouldn't."

"Buzz off, Robos," Ikki growled.

"Ooh, listen to the big man, giving out orders," Seaslug taunted. "What're ya gonna do, cry for mommy?" The gang burst into laughter.

* * *

Shadow growled softly. It was odd. He didn't even know this kid, and he was getting defensive of him.

If only they had heeded his warning, then none of them would be in this mess. Well, what was done was done. The only thing he could do now was help them out.

It never occurred to him to leave. And even if it had, his Autobot programming wouldn't have let him.

Raising his right arm, a gun resembling a miniature Vulcan cannon popping out, he took aim and fired.

* * *

Ikki jumped, then blinked.

One of the Ninja-types had been advancing threateningly, left sword pointed at them, when a bolt of blue energy flashed across their vision, hit the blade, _and completely vaporized it._

"Leave them alone," the voice from earlier growled.

At that, every head turned toward the voice. They saw an empty corner, but only for a moment. It was as if an invisible curtain was dropped, revealing a Medabot unlike any Ikki had ever seen.

The Medabot, obviously male, was a lot less heavily armored than most Medabots, built for speed and stealth instead of power, like most Medabots were. He was also much, much taller then the average Medabot, being an inch or so over Ikki's own height.

His paint job was mostly black, but his hands, feet, and joints were dark navy. His head was a normal shape, but had two flat navy spikes jutting from a thin piece of metal on his forehead.

What really caught Ikki's attention, however, were his eyes. They were electric blue. He had _never_ seen a Medabot with eyes like that before.

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way." The strange Medabot cocked his head. "Which will it be?"

Snarling in rage at having been shown up, Seaslug bellowed, "Sic 'im, boys!"

With that, all the Medabots that had come with the Rubberrobo Gang lunged at him.

The black Medabot sighed. "The hard way, then."

What followed was the shortest, most one-sided Robattle Ikki, Erika, and Metabee had ever seen.

* * *

Shadow eyed the advancing Medabots critically. His newly rediscovered, lightning fast tactical programming allowed him to see the strengths and weaknesses of each of these models in less then half a second, as well as come to an important conclusion: this was going to be a very short fight.

With a round of perfectly timed, precisely executed kicks, punches, and laser blasts, he incapacitated all of them in about two minutes, without so much as scratching his own paint.

Shooting the Rubberrobo Gang a decidedly unimpressed look, he asked, "That's it? That's the best you have?" He shook his head. "I've played card games that were tougher."

"What— but— you— how—" Seaslug spluttered, then shouted, "Let's get out of here!"

Tapping the buttons on their Medawatches that would 'port the fallen Medabots away, the Rubberrobos turned tail and ran.

* * *

Ikki watched the Robos go, snickering. He turned back to the newcomer, only to find himself looking into the blue eyes that had startled him so.

"Are you three okay?" the black Medabot asked. His voice was just high enough to be a tenor, a little rough around the edges, with a slight, not-quit-British accent.

"Yeah, we're okay," Erika answered, bowing slightly. "Thank you for saving us."

"You're welcome." His gun slid back into his arm, and he started to walk out of the shack.

"Wait!" Ikki said.

He paused. "Yes?"

"What's your name? Who are you?"

An odd look flashed across those cold blue eyes. "I'm called Shadow, and I don't know who I am." With that, he was gone.


	6. Jealousy

KrissyKat91: Slightly longer chapter than the last one. I'm hoping that if I get the chapters I already have written uploaded, it will motivate me to finish this story (provided I can remember where I was going with this).

* * *

Ch. 6: Jealousy

September 13, 2156

"Then he said, 'I'm called Shadow, and I don't know who I am.' And then he just vanished."

Ikki, dressed in much more winter appropriate clothing, sat back, sipping his hot chocolate, finished with his story.

"So," Erika asked, "have either of you ever seen this 'bot before?"

Henry and Dr. Aki looked at each other, then shook their heads. Dr. Aki had come to the 24-Hour Hop Mart when Ikki had called, saying there was a strange Medabot in town. Since Henry was there, and they couldn't just kick him out of his own store, they'd included him in their discussion.

"I wonder," Ikki said slowly, "what he meant when he said he didn't know who he was."

"Yeah," Metabee murmured.

"I meant exactly what I said."

They all jumped, then looked toward the front of the store. There, leaning against the door, back-lit by the afternoon sun, was Shadow.

"How did you get in here without the bell ringing?" Henry asked.

"I have my ways." Nodding politely to Ikki, Erika, and Metabee, he came a little farther into the store, stopping just out of arm reach.

"You've been following us, haven't you?" Metabee accused.

"Negative."

"Who are you?" Dr. Aki asked when it was clear the black Medabot would say nothing more. Shadow gave him a Look.

"He," Shadow nodded toward Ikki, "already told you that I don't know who I am."

Metabee snorted. "How can you not know who you are? You told us your name—"

"It's not my name," the black Medabot interrupted. "It's what I go by, but it's not my name."

"What _is_ your name?" Erika asked, an almost predatory gleam in her eyes.

"I can't remember," Shadow admitted, though his tone was guarded.

"You can't remember?" Dr. Aki repeated. "You have amnesia?"

Shadow just stared at him, and the Medabots designer began to shift nervously.

Snickering, Henry said, "I think he's telling you not to ask stupid questions. Am I right?"

The black 'bot hummed noncommittally, then said, "My earliest memory is of some kind of battle, but the details are hazy." He shuddered slightly. "The one thing I _do_ remember clearly is pain unlike anything you could ever imagine."

"Why are you telling us this?" Ikki asked.

"I was hoping you would help me," Shadow replied. "I don't know the details of that battle, but I know it was somewhere around here. If I could find the sight, I might be able to remember what happened."

"Why don't you just ask your Medafighter what happened?" Metabee inquired.

A flash of something—resentment, maybe?—crossed blue eyes. "I don't _have_ a Medafighter, Metabee," he said softly.

"Why not? And how do you know my name?"

"I know your name because I was hiding in that shack for quite some time before those odd humans in the bizarre outfits showed up. As for why I don't have a Medafighter... The one I might have called Medafighter proved himself untrustworthy." There was an underlying note of bitterness in those last words.

Ikki, seeing Erika gearing up for another question, decided to save the black 'bot some dignity.

"So, Shadow," he asked, ignoring Erika's death-stare, "where are you staying while you search for that place?"

Shadow blinked. "I... hadn't actually planned that far ahead," he admitted in a slightly sheepish tone.

"Well, then," Ikki said, "you'll just have to stay with Metabee and me."

"_What?!"_ Metabee squawked.

"I wouldn't want to intrude."

"Hello!" Metabee said, trying to get Ikki's attention.

"You won't be intruding. We'd be glad to—"

"IKKI!"

"What?!"

"Can we talk outside for a minute?"

"Um, sure, I guess—HEY!"

After dragging his Medafighter outside, Metabee spun around and hissed, "Are you crazy?! We don't know anything about this 'bot!"

"He saved us, Metabee. We owe him one."

Metabee bristled. "We don't owe him anything," he snapped.

Ikki frowned. "What's gotten into you, Metabee? You're acting like—" He stopped, eyes wide. "You're jealous."

The KBT-type didn't answer, but the glint in his eyes was all Ikki needed to see.

"Oh, for crying out loud! We only just met the 'bot! What could you possibly have to be jealous of?!"

"...He took those Medabots down in two minutes, Ikki. Two minutes! There is no way that should've been possible for a 'bot as big as him! He should've been scrapped!"

"Well, like you said, we don't know anything about him. Maybe he's custom built or something."

"You two do know that most people don't appreciate being talked about behind their backs, right?"

Both Medabot and Medafighter looked up in guilty surprise.

Shadow stood before them, arms crossed, having moved silently enough to sneak up on them without their noticing. And he did not look happy.

"Ah, Shadow," Metabee stuttered. "I, uh, that is—"

"Save it," Shadow growled. "You've said enough." Then, with a move straight out of an action flick, the black 'bot lunged upward, grabbed a flagpole, and flipped himself up over the roof and out of sight.


	7. Blue Eyes, Red Eyes

KrissyKat91: And another memory is revealed. Also, for those of you who are wondering, I am a female of the species. What that species is I leave to your imaginations.

* * *

Ch. 7: Blue Eyes, Red Eyes

September 14, 2156

Shadow sighed, leaning against the ledge of the building he was on.

He had his suspicions as to why he'd gotten so annoyed with Metabee the day before. The KBT-type had reminded him of someone—_two_ someones, actually—whom he cared about, but who drove him up the wall. At least, that was what he gathered from the emotions he'd been feeling at the time. If only he could remember...

* * *

"**Now_ what did the two of you do?" he asked, glaring at the two nearly identical mechs standing before his desk._**

"_**Who, us?" the red-and-black mech asked. "Nothing."**_

"_**Forgive me if I don't believe you. You both know it would be best to tell me now, before I hear it from somebot else."**_

_**The red mech stared at him, then looked at the yellow-and-silver mech beside him.**_

"_**Fine," the yellow mech grunted. "We were gonna rig the fire suppression system to go off whenever our dear Security Director walked inside the rec room, but the femmes caught us."**_

"_**Which is just as well," the red mech said, grinning. "We were gonna hook up with some of them, anyway."**_

"_**The orn the two of you find femmes who will tolerate you will be the orn I hand in my resignation," he said flatly.**_

"_**Why?"**_

"_**Because that will be the orn the universe ends."**_

_**The red mech smirked. "We'll hold you to that, won't we, Sun—"**_

* * *

Shadow groaned, clutching his head. He'd been so close, so _close_ to having a name to match with a face! Sun, sun, the yellow mech's name had something to do with the sun! What was it?!

"Are you okay?"

Red eyes was the first thing Shadow registered as his head shot up. The following reaction was pure, deeply rooted instinct.

Surging to his feet, he morphed the lower half of his left arm into his strongest weapon—an ion pulse cannon—and aimed it at the perceived threat, who leaped back, trying to avoid the deadly looking gun.

Shadow's CPU abruptly caught up with the rest of his processors, and he realized with a start that the one his battle computer had labeled "Decepticon" was just a white-and-violet KWG-type Medabot in a tatty cloak.

Feeling nothing short of mortified, Shadow lowered the gun. "I... apologize," he said. "I thought you were... someone else."

The KWG-type eyed him warily, but raised himself out of the protective crouch he'd dropped into.

"It's fine," he said slowly. "Who are you? I'm sure I've never seen you around here before."

"Call me Shadow. I'm new."

"My name is Rokusho." He looked around, then asked, "Where is your Medafighter?"

The Stealth-type mentally frowned. "What logic does everyone use in assuming that I have a Medafighter?"

"You don't?"

"I do not."

Rokusho studied him, an odd look in his eyes, then said, "Nor do I."

* * *

"...and so he sent me back in time, and here I am."

Shadow and Rokusho, who was currently staring at Shadow with wide eyes, were perched in the branches of a large elm tree which overlooked the river (the KWG-type claimed it was his "thinking tree").

"Let me see if I've got this straight," Rokusho said slowly. "You've got the body of a Medabot, but instead of a Medal, you've got something called a Spark."

"Right."

"Which means you're not really a Medabot."

"Correct."

"You're a—a Cybertronian. Like those giants in America."

"Yes. An Autobot, to be precise."

"But beyond that, you can't remember anything about yourself."

"More or less."

Rokusho's vents cycled hot air out in a sigh, and he leaned back against the elm's trunk.

"Are you all right?" Shadow asked, eying him warily.

"Fine," Rokusho replied, though his voice was a tiny bit higher in pitch than normal. "I'm just having a little trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that there's an alien sitting beside me."

"As far as I'm concerned, _you're_ the alien."

"Hm. So, the reason you almost attacked me was...?"

Shadow had the grace to look embarrassed. "I mistook you for a Decepticon. Most of them have red optics. My reaction, I am ashamed to admit, was purely instinctual. There was no reasoning behind it."

Rokusho shook his head. "I don't blame you."

The Stealth-type nodded, then slid out of the tree, landing soundlessly on the ground below.

"I need to be going. It's imperative that I find the site of the attack that is my last clear memory."

"It was nice meeting you, my friend," the Stag Beetle-type called.

"And you."

And with that, he vanished.


	8. Earth Meets Dark

KrissyKat91: Okay, this is the last chapter I have written. After this there's three or four more in the works, plus an epilogue. On another note, does anyone know where I can find the _Shattered Glass_ comics for a reasonable price? Or, you know, at all?

* * *

Ch 8: Earth Meets Dark

September 19, 2156

One week. It had been one week since Professor Sayne had sent him back in time, and Shadow was at his wit's end. He had searched Riverview from top to bottom, but without even a general idea of what he was looking for, he was getting nowhere fast.

He'd had several more flashbacks during that time, though, each one clearer than the last, and though there were never any names, he now knew that, whoever he was, he was of a fairly high rank, and had friends in America who could (if he ever found a way to contact them) get him into a body proper for an Autobot.

When he remembered everything—he was now sure he would—he could set himself to the task of reclaiming his life. The thought alone sent thrills of joy through his Spark.

* * *

Shadow was taking a break in the park, contemplating choking down his pride and asking someone for help, when his plans were circumvented by fate in the form of a green Medabot with pink eyes.

_**CLANG! CRASH!**_

Grunting more out of surprise than anything else (he'd have been knocked over if he were any other model), Shadow steadied himself and peered down at the Medabot who'd just rammed into his legs.

She (it was obviously female) was of average height, colored mostly sea-green, with forest green trimming and hints of brown on her metallic tunic. Her faceplate was common in design, but was the _un_common color of black. And her eyes were a shade of pink he was fairly certain wasn't normally found on the third planet of the Sol system.

All this passed through Shadow's CPU in an instant. The next instant he was bending down and holding a hand out to the other bot.

* * *

_Please don't see me. Please don't see me._ _Please don't see me._ The phrase was Terra's mantra as she darted down the path.

She and her Medafighter, Shani Hil, had come to the park because it was too nice a day to stay inside, but now she really, _really_ wanted to go home. And it was all because of Metabee.

_Why did I even bother? Of _course_ that beetle brain would be here. It's not like he isn't _stalkingme!_ Why can't he just—_

_**CLANG! CRASH!**_

Terra sat up, ready to bite the head off of whoever had just walked into her, when she found her field of vision occupied by a large, navy blue hand.

"I am terribly sorry, miss. I should have payed better attention to my surroundings. Here, let me help you up."

Blinking bemusedly, Terra took the offered hand, letting the other 'bot pull her to her feet.

Letting go, she looked up. And up. And up.

_Man, he's tall!_ was her first thought. Her second was, _He's cute, too._

"Are you all right?" the black 'bot asked.

"I'm fine. It take's more than a little tumble to damage me."

He studied her, taking in every inch of her frame, but not the way Metabee had when they'd first met. He looked at her like a veteran warrior, sizing up her strengths and weaknesses.

"I see," he finally said, and something told Terra that vague statement was a compliment.

"I'm Terra," she said after a moment of silence.

"Call me Shadow."

"TERRA!"

Both Medabots looked up, startled. Rushing towards them was a blonde, blue-eyed ten-year-old girl.

"I'm okay, Shani," Terra said, holding up her hands.

"Good, but please don't run off like that again."

"All right." Turning to her new friend, Terra said, "Shadow, this is my Medafighter, Shani Hil. Shani, this is Shadow."

"A pleasure to meet you, Shadow," Shani said, smiling and holding out her hand.

"Likewise, Miss Hil."

Though his reply was somewhat monotone, his grip was firm, and his gaze steady. Terra found herself liking this 'bot more and more every minute.

"So," Shani asked, "where's your—"

"I don't have one," Shadow interrupted, one eye twitching slightly.

"Oh," Shani said. "Sorry."

"It's fine."

"O... kay." There was a moment of awkward silence, then Shani turned to Terra and asked, "Why'd you run? I thought you wanted to come to the park."

Terra growled. "I _did,_ then beetle brain showed up."

Shadow's head tilted slightly. "Who is 'beetle brain'?"

"His name's Metabee," Terra sighed. "He's convinced we're 'destined for each other', or something like that."

Mild amusement entered the taller 'bot's eyes. "And you do not agree, do you?"

"As if! I don't love him; most of the time I don't even really like him!"

"Terra!" Shani squawked.

"Well, it's true!" She slumped slightly. "He's an okay guy when he's not acting like a lovesick puppy, but that doesn't happen very often. Besides, haven't you noticed the crush Brass has on him?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"Terra!"

Said Medabot froze at the sound of the voice. "Oh, no."

Crashing through the bushes towards the little group was Metabee.

"Terra, my love, why did you—" He saw Shadow, and skidded to a stop. "YOU!"

Shadow merely nodded. "Hello, Metabee."


End file.
